Playthings
by angeiei77
Summary: Dean Winchester was not anyone's plaything. Nobody could get to his heart and toy with his feelings. Except maybe one miracle named Castiel. Castiel was perfect, and Dean believed in him even when neither if them believed in themselves. And it was Dean's belief in Castiel that saved them both in the end.
1. Chapter One: Something Tricked This Way

**Summary: Dean Winchester was not anyone's plaything. Nobody could get to his heart and toy with his feelings. Except maybe one miracle named Castiel. Castiel was perfect, and Dean believed in him even when neither of them believed in themselves. And it was Dean's belief in Castiel that saved them both in the end. **

**This is rated T for (mostly) Dean's language and mentions of alcohol. (Plus it's Supernatural, whaddaya expect?)**

**I used this setting because I am familiar with it and would rather not make up a city or write about one that I know nothing about. **

**_Italics are stressed words or songs. _****Normal text is narration.****_ 'Italics with apostrophes are direct thoughts.'_**** "Normal text with quotation marks are direct dialogues."**

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. I do not own any of the places or songs that might be mentioned in this fic. I do not own Supernatural or any of its characters. If I did, Destiel would be canon. :) **

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Chapter One: Something Tricked This Way Comes

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Dean casually drove the Impala down the freeway, drumming his fingers on the wheel to the beat of the song blasting from the speakers. His little brother sat shotgun, finishing a conversation with Bobby Singer.

"Okay Bobby...Thanks...Bye." Sam flipped his phone closed, and turned to Dean.

"So what have we got? Demon? Vampire? Werewolf? I'd love me a werewolf." Dean looked out the windshield of the Impala, smiling at the thought of a good-old-fashioned hunt.

"A narwhal." Sam said.

"Bless you. Now what are we working with?"

Sam sighed, so done with Dean. "A dead narwhal was found on the shore of a beach in Los Angeles."

"Why is that our problem? Doesn't sound very supernatural to me."

"Because narwhals are creatures of the Arctic Circle, not the Cabrillo Beach, California. And the fact that the narwhal was pink and emitting sparks when it was found is definitely not natural." Sam looked at Dean with that _'I went to Stanford' _look that he wore so well. "So probably not something with evil intentions, just something that wants to have some fun messing with people's heads."

"A trickster?"

"You got it."

"Dammit," Dean said, shaking his head.

"What?" Sam asked.

"I thought it would be more fun than that."

"C'mon Dean. What if something life-changing happens while we're in California?"

"Yeah, yeah," Dean sighed. He turned up _Heat of the Moment _by Asia, smirking at the coincidence.

"Not this song..." Sam sighed, exasperated. It brought back the memories of the last time they hunted a trickster. That was something he would never forget.

Dean just cranked it up louder and bobbed his head to the beat. Sam shook his head and looked out the window.

'_Maybe this would be fun, after all.'_ Dean thought. But he doubted it would get any more fun than making fun of his brother.

He didn't know how wrong he was.

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**Short chapter. (Sorry about that.) Review to let me know if I should go on! :)**


	2. Chapter Two: Candy Man

**Get ready for some Castiel up in here. (And jic you were wondering, this is a Human!Castiel. He is neither a hunter, angel, monster, nor possessed, if you were wondering that, too.)**

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Chapter Two: Candy Man

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"So," Dean said, flopping down on a bed in the motel room, "seen any suspicious characters yet?"

"Dean we literally just got into town. I haven't even had time to research anything yet!" Sam opened his laptop and sat in the chair. (Which was much too small for him.)

"Well there's not much you can research on a trickster." Dean covered his head with his arms, smirking at Sammy's get-to-business attitude.

"Well I can search for anything weird that may have happened here before," Sam retorted.

"Well you have fun with that. I'm gonna visit every candy store in town," Dean said, standing up and heading for the door.

"Why?" Sam looked up from his laptop.

Dean turned to his brother and said sarcastically, "Cuz I'm craving me some MnM's."

"Seriously."

"High metabolism, right? I'm gonna find out who their best customer is."

"Whatever, jerk."

"Bitch." And with that, Dean shut the door of the motel room behind him.

Dean shut the door of the Impala behind him. The storefront was brightly decorated with the words "Castiel's Candy Corner." There was a cheesy blue awning with a white trim, the sweetness of it making Dean want to puke. A little bell tinkled as he pushed the door open, and he walked right up to the counter.

"Hi! What can I get you today sir?" The girl behind the display case asked, her red hair contrasting nicely with the surrounding shades of blue.

"Yes, Miss...Anna," Dean said, glancing at her name tag. "I would like to speak with the owner of this business."

"Why?" Anna asked.

"I'm an FBI agent and I would just like to talk to the owner if he's seen anything that I may be investigating." He showed her his fake ID card, which she looked at for a few moments, before she quickly nodded her head.

"Alrighty then!" Anna smiled, unlocking the door that lead to the kitchen. "Right this way."

She walked down a surprisingly long hallway. "The store hours are almost over though," she called over her shoulder. "You may not have long to talk."

"This won't take long," Dean assured her.

"I somehow doubt that," Anna said mysteriously. She called into a room, "Castiel! An FBI agent is here to talk to you."

Dean couldn't make out his response, but Anna must have gotten some sign of approval. Before she left she whispered, "Castiel is single and ready to mingle." She walked back to the counter, ignoring Dean's confused expression.

Dean stepped into the room, surprised that it looked like any normal office. It had filing cabinets and windows with blinds and a big desk with chairs on either side. Then he noticed the man behind the desk.

He didn't look much younger than Dean, twenty-three or twenty-four at the most. He was wearing a black suit and a white shirt, with a dark blue tie around his neck, and a huge tan trench coat on over it all. His hair was as dark as night, and mussed so that it stuck up at odd angles. He was looking down at his folded hands, until he extended one out to Dean.

"Hi. My name is Castiel Novak." His voice was low and gravelly, like he had spent the last few hours yelling. It was downright sexy.

'_Wait-did I just think of an other man's voice as sexy?'_

He shook the thought from his mind. "Dean Winchester," he said, looking into the other man's eyes. They were the bluest blue to ever blue, like Dean could just fall into them. They were the sky and the sea and a blueberry pie. They were ice and a flowing waterfall and a beautiful-

_'Wait-did I just think of an other man as beautiful?'_

"Um...I'm here on account of...uh...a dead whale..." '_Well that sounded intelligent._' Why couldn't he stay cool around this guy?

"A dead whale?" Castiel asked.

"Uh...yeah. You see, one of my agents and I-"

"Shop hours are over! You'll have to continue this somewhere else." Anna popped into the room, practically shoving Dean and Castiel out the door. "What a shame! You'll have to go to a coffee shop or motel room or something!" She winked at Dean, hoping he would catch her drift. He understood immediately.

She was trying to get them to go out together.

Well it was not going to work.

Needless to say, it worked. Castiel lead Dean to a coffee shop down the street, where they got drinks and sat down at a small table.

Dean explained his whole life to the other man. There was something about him that made Dean feel like he deserved the truth. Everything from his mom's death to the trickster they were currently hunting was told to him, and the odd thing was that Castiel never questioned it. He just stared at Dean with those ultra-blue eyes.

"So now you know why I really came to you in the first place." Dean drained the last coffee and wiped his mouth with his sleeve. "So what's your deal, Cas?"

"Cas?" Castiel slowly tilted his head to the side, furrowing his eyebrows. It was adorable.

'_Not adorable! I'm straight!_' Dean shyly looked away and scratched his head. "Yeah, Cas. Can I call you Cas? Castiel is kind of a mouthful."

Cas smiled the cutest smile Dean had ever seen. "Yes. You can call me Cas."

"You know my life story. What's yours?" Dean got ready to hear about some apple-pie life, growing up in a family business of candy stores, being the spoiled child of two rich parents. But it wasn't like that at all.

Cas was the youngest of eight children. Michael, Lucifer, Samandriel, Uriel, Balthazar, and Gabriel were his brothers, and Anael was his sister. His parents thought they would only have seven children, and when his extremely religious father found out his mother was pregnant with an eighth, he left the family and never came back, knowing Cas wasn't his child.

After Cas was born, his mother spiraled into a downfall of depression, drug use, and alcoholism. When Cas was only four years old, she slit her wrists, not being able to handle it any more. Cas was the one to find her, soaked in her own blood on the bathroom floor. After her funeral, the family of siblings had to manage themselves.

His eighteen year old twin brothers, Michael and Lucifer, never finished high school because they had to work full-time jobs. Gabriel always dreamed of having a candy store, so when the twins had saved enough money, they opened one, and Gabriel demanded they name it after their youngest sibling. It was the same store that Cas still owned.

It had been passed down through the siblings according to age. Micheal left for Ohio to "pursue his destiny", Lucifer ran away to God knows where, Samandriel and Balthazar went to college, and Uriel went into the Marines. Castiel never really liked the candy shop, though since Gabriel went missing it became his and Anael's responsibility. Anael, now called "Anna" for business purposes, worked there with Castiel.

"Wow." Dean was taken aback by how equally their lives sucked. "Where do you live now, since your brothers are gone?"

"I don't have a home. I usually just spend nights in the back room of the shop, but I get the feeling that Anna doesn't want me there tonight for some reason."

Dean's cheeks flushed, remembering Anna's words in the shop. "Single and ready to mingle." Dean could feel his developing feelings for Castiel, but he was trying to push them down. '_I'm not gay._' He told himself. '_Not gay. I've been with way too many girls to be gay. And I've never felt like this for a guy before. Not gay.'_

"Wanna stay the night with me?" '_Shit_!' Dean thought to himself. '_He does not want to date you! Stop Dean!'_

"Yes," Castiel said, looking deep into Dean's eyes.

"Really?" Dean was trying not to sound like an idiot, but he was actually really excited that Castiel wanted to stay the night.

"I would love to stay with you. And maybe I could help you and your brother with the trickster hunt. And I would like to get to know your brother, too." Cas gulped down the rest of his coffee while Dean hid his face.

'_He only wants to help with the hunt,_' Dean thought. '_He is not interested in you. Wait-am I disappointed? No I'm not. Totally platonic relationship. Totally.'_

"Sounds great," Dean said. "Let's go." He stood up and walked to the coffee shop door, Cas following closely behind him.

They walked to the Impala, the chilly January wind nipping at their faces. Dean thought of how warm it would be in the motel room with Cas and Sammy. He was looking forward to introducing them to each other. (He didn't notice how he thought of Cas's reaction to his brother before Sammy's reaction to his new friend.)

Dean unlocked the car, opening the driver seat door as he did so. "First rule of the Impala: Driver chooses the music, shotgun shuts his cakehole. Secondly: Only I can refer to her as 'baby.' Lastly: No chick flick moments."

Cas squinted his eyes and tilted his head. "I don't understand that reference."

_'Damn he's adorable-shit I thought it again_.' Dean sighed and put on an AC/DC tape. Cas looked at Dean curiously, like the driver was a puzzle he couldn't solve. Cas didn't seem to realize how uncomfortable this was making Dean, especially since he couldn't look at Cas for the fear of saying something stupid.

This was going to be a long night.


	3. Chapter Three: The Brothers

**I didn't forget you. I promise. But this is the chapter where things start to get interesting. *muahahaha!* and now...slaves of this fandom...i give you...THE CHAPTERRRRRR!**

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Chapter Three: The Brothers

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The ride to the motel was very uncomfortable for Dean. Cas didn't know he was making Dean uncomfortable, he just wanted to count the driver's freckles. And he did. Cas tried to name all the colors in Dean's eyes. Forest, the tiniest specks of hazel, evergreen, amber, shamrock...countless colors there weren't even names for. Cas watched the way Dean listened to his music, nodding his head or humming the tune. He never sang along. Maybe he was embarrassed to. Cas wanted to ask Dean questions about himself, but they arrived at the motel before He could say anything.

"Welp. Here it is." Dean opened his door, stepping out into the cold January air. Cas did the same. He followed Dean up some stairs and down a long hallway, until they finally stopped at the room.

Dean began unlocking the door, Cas standing by his side. "Now don't be afraid of him just because of his size." He was being slightly sarcastic, but Cas didn't get it.

"Why would I be afraid of your brother? He won't hurt me." Cas's voice was lower than usual, because he didn't want Sam to overhear their conversation. "I'm sure he's very nice."

Dean opened the door, revealing Sam standing with a knife, ready to strike. "Who's this?" he asked Dean, looking at Cas. Cas's eyes widened at the sight of the (slightly bloody) blade, clearly taking back what he said moments before.

"Castiel, this is my little brother, Sam. Sammy, this is my friend Cas. He isn't a demon or a werewolf or a shape-shifter or anything, by the way. He's a normal person. Now please put the knife down and let us in." Sam didn't question him any further, assuming Cas was a hunter who could help with the problem Sam revealed when he stepped aside.

The girl was sitting on Dean's bed, her long legs dangling lazily off the side. Her blonde hair was tangled and hung at her elbows, framing the small Smurfs T-shirt she was wearing. She was eating a large bag of MnMs, slowly, one at a time. There was a large gash in her stomach, one that wasn't stitched or completely healed. It was surrounded by dried blood that was caked onto her skin in a thick layer. She was picking at her daisy dukes, ignoring the entrance if the two men.

"It's Jessica," Sam told Dean. "I was here researching and she came and knocked on the door. She hasn't said anything since she got here. She seems human too, cuz everything I've tried seems to bounce right back at me."

"Whatever that is, it is not Jessica. She's dead and you know it. What's dead should stay dead-we learned that a long time ago. There's no way she could have come back without some help from the living. It's a shape-shift-'

"Have you tried talking to her? If you don't approach her like a monster, you may have a better chance of getting to her." Dean looked exasperated, but Sam nodded his head.

"Okay," Sam said. "I think I will." He crossed the room to her bed. He crouched in front of her, stroking her chin so that she would look at him. "Jess." Jessica looked up at Sam, her eyes twinkling. "Sam," she said. They stood up and looked into each other's eyes. Then Sam pulled her close, so there was no space between them. Jessica smiled and stood on her tiptoes. Sam hugged her waist and kissed her. She flung her arms around his neck, ecstatic that they were together again.

Dean awkwardly cleared his throat, and Sam waved it away with his free hand. Cas looked at Dean, who turned away and scratched his head. Cas couldn't help but think of how much he wished Dean and he would do what Sam and Jessica were doing. _'But he's straight,'_ Cas thought, shyly looking away. _'He doesn't want to be anything more than friends.'_

Sam and Jessica finally broke apart, smiles plastered on their faces. Sam turned to Dean, and Jessica sat back down on the bed, blocked from any of their views.

Sam looked pointedly at his brother. "See Dean, I told you. She's not dangerous. Just Jess. My girlfriend-"

"Labels are for cans, Samsquatch." A short man with wispy brown hair was suddenly behind Sam, throwing his arms around Sam, knocking him to the ground. Dean dropped to fight the man off his brother. But Cas just stood in shock.

The man was Cas's brother. The one who went missing. He was here in the motel room, wrestling his new friend's brother on the ground. And the minute he saw the weapon, Cas knew what he had to do.

Everything happened so quickly, Cas couldn't keep track. He grabbed the wooden stake off of the bedside table. He shoved Dean out of the way and flung Gabriel off Sam. He pinned his brother to the ground with his knee. He drove the stake through the other man's heart. Gabriel smiled deviously as blood spurted from his chest and dripped from his mouth. His eyes rolled into the back of his head and his lids closed over them. His head fell to the side, dead. Gabriel's body rippled in and out of existence. And he disappeared.

Cas kneeled on the floor with the stake in his hand, shocked at what he just did.

'I just stabbed my brother through the heart. Why did I...What just happened?' Cas's mind was filled with questions that he couldn't answer himself.

Dean and Sam looked just as surprised as Cas did. They sat on the floor, looking dumbstruck at Cas's sudden movements.

"Well shit, Cas." Dean looked at Cas with a _little_ more than gratitude.

"I just killed Gabriel." Cas sat in confusion. "Where did that girl Jessica go? How did Gabriel get in the room? Where did his body go?"

"No you didn't kill anyone human," Sam said. "That was the trickster. You just got rid of our problem." Sam smiled at him, but Cas was still confused.

"So he changed his form from Jessica to Gabriel?" Cas looked at Dean for the answer, but all Dean could do was stare at him.

"Tricksters can do pretty much whatever they want," Sam said. "So I guess that's what this one did."

"This is great!" Dean suddenly seemed overcome with joy at the thought of a dead trickster. "We should go somewhere."

"What do you mean?" Cas didn't see what was so special about what just happened.

"I mean we're going out to celebrate." Dean stood up and offered his hand to Cas, who gladly accepted.

behind Cas's back, Sam gave Dean a look that said 'you're-so-gay-for-him-aren't-you' and Dean gave him a look that said 'shut-the-fuck-up-Sammy-you-know-nothing.'

"You kids have fun with that. I'm gonna try to get some sleep." Sam lied down on the bed evidently not sleeping.

"Whatever, killjoy." Dean opened the door and let Cas out first.

"And Dean," Sam whispered.

"What?" Cas was already heading to the Impala.

"You liii-iiike him," Sam teased.

"Well 'course I like him, Sammy. We're two dudes going to get celebratory beer together."

"I'm sure that's all you want to do with him." Sam winked implyingly at Dean, causing the older brother to blush.

"Bitch."

"Jerk."

He shut the motel door, Sam smiling behind his back. Sam had never been the type for match-making, but seriously? They were so obviously in love with each other. He just hoped they would get all the fluff over with and get together so Sam could say,"I told you so."

Sam shook his head and tried to get some sleep.

He didn't notice the man who materialized out of thin air. He didn't notice the man's mischievous grin. He didn't notice that the man took the bag of MnMs that "Jessica" had left. And he didn't notice the man disappearing...again.

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**Such ominosity! Dun dun duuuuuuun! Please review and let me know if i should go on. luv you guys!**


	4. Chapter Four: Anna's Treat

**trigger warning: drugs. Only a little bit (for now) but i thout i should warn you in advance. **

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Chapter Four: Anna's Treat

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Dean got in the driver's seat of the Impala, smiling at Cas as he did so. "Where's the best place in town?"

"I just got a text from Anna," Cas replied, "telling us to go to the candy shop. She said she left something for us." Cas looked at Dean, confused.

'_For us?_' Dean wondered._ 'What could Anna want with me?'_

"I think we should go." Dean was actually really curious (and kind of nervous) about what the candy shop held for him.

"Really?" Cas looked like he didn't really trust Anna or want to follow her orders.

"Come on Cas, it could be fun. Where's your sense of adventure?" Dean elbowed him playfully, but Cas didn't get it, so it was kind of awkward.

"Okay. Let's go."

Dean started up the Impala. He pulled out of the driveway of the motel and turned in the direction of the shop. A Led Zeppelin song was playing, and Cas looked like he was enjoying it immensely. By the time the song was over, they had pulled up in front of the shop.

Cas looked at Dean, grinning. "Zeppelin rules."

'_He likes my music! Could he get more perfect?_' Dean smiled back at him, saying, "Amen to that, Cas."

They got out of the car, heading to the candy shop. The light was on, which Dean thought was odd; the shop had supposedly closed hours ago. The door was unlocked, so Dean and Cas opened it.

As soon as they were inside, their nostrils were filled with the wondrous aroma of brownies. Dean's suspicion about Anna disappeared and was replace with gratitude and joy. He suddenly noticed how hungry he really was. The chocolate scent was going to drive him crazy if he didn't get to it soon.

"Where is that amazing smell coming from?" Dean asked. He looked all around the room, eyes landing on a large red arrow stuck to the wall. It said 'THIS WAY' in big silver letters.

"I would hypothesize that the large and obvious red arrow would point us in the general direction of the smell's source." Cas said this with a completely serious look on his face, not even trying to be snarky.

"No shit, Sherlock."

"I don't understand that reference."

Dean rolled his eyes and headed in the arrow's direction. Cas wasn't as eager to get to the brownies as Dean was. He still didn't completely trust his sister. Cas trotted off after Dean, following the arrows down the long hallway. The scent got stronger and more irresistible with each step they took. They pointed him into Anna's office.

Her "office" was more like a bedroom than a room used for business. It had plain white walls and a black and white checkered carpet. A simple, yet elegant, chandelier hung from the middle of the ceiling, lighting the room with a soft glow. There were no desks or office chairs; instead there were two small, red armchairs with little black and white footstools. There were two black sofas in the middle of the room, their fronts pushed together, forming a comfortable-looking nest. There were white pillows scattered and red blankets draped arbitrarily over furniture. On one wall was a large red arrow, pointing to a small podium. There sat the two brownies on a plate, steaming like they just came out of the oven.

"Hallelujah, baby!" Dean practically ran to the treats, stopping only to inhale the scent. Then he picked up a brownie and took a huge bite. "Oh my God, this is DELICIOUS!" His mouth was full of chocolate, and Cas chuckled as he walked over to Dean. He looked adorable with his bright green eyes shining and his lips covered with fudge. Cas picked up the other brownie and took a bite.

"Wow," Cas said. "This is good."

Dean looked at him, dumbstruck. "'This is good'? That's all you have to say? This brownie is the best damn thing I have ever eaten, and that's saying something cuz I eat a lot. Biting this wonderful desert was like killing a thousand demons while Black Sabbath has a concert in the background. It was like getting tucked into bed but also like injecting caffeine into your veins. It was like-" but Cas couldn't take it anymore. He pushed the other man up against the wall and kissed him.

Those cliché fireworks pooped in Cas's head as his lips met Dean's. For a moment, everything was good in the world. Like everything else was put on pause while him and Dean went on fast forward. And Dean kissed him back. It wasn't a too rushed kiss or a too slow kiss. It was perfect and full of love. Dean wanted it to never end but Cas pulled away.

They looked into each other's eyes, each one not believing what just happened. All they could do was stare at each other, hopeful that the other would speak next. Cas was the one to eventually break the silence.

"I've been wanting to do that since the moment I laid eyes on you."

"Yeah. Same here." Dean seemed oddly out of breath. His heart was racing as he looked at the blue-eyed man. He smiled. "Who would have thought that brownies could bring people together." He took an other bite from his desert, and Cas did the same.

Dean finished his before Cas did, and he took the opportunity to stare a the fine specimen he just kissed. He was so lucky he took this case and came to California. He was so glad that Sammy had picked up his phone when Bobby called. He gazed at Cas with love threatening to spill over his eyes. His thoughts were interrupted when Cas said, "You do realize that these are not normal brownies."

Dean looked at Cas, confused. "Whaddaya mean 'not normal'?"

"I think Anna put drugs in these in an attempt to bring us together." He looked at Dean, waiting for his reaction.

"Well I guess she got her wish." Dean smiled, and Cas returned the expression. "Woah," Dean suddenly said. He sarted falling to the ground, weak in the knees. Luckily, Cas caught him before he collapsed. He heaved Dean onto the sofa-nest, panting slightly.

"Dean, are you alright?" Cas waved a hand over his face checking for consciousness. Dean's eyes fluttered open, and he smiled.

"I think the LSD has kicked in." Dean's eyes were wide when he looked around. Then Cas collapsed smiling onto the sofa-nest at Dean's side. Dean smiled and kissed the half-conscious man on his forehead.

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**And so it begins: Destiel. sorry the chapter was kinda short; i'm working in making these longer! Tell me if you think I should do a chapter where they're all drugged up and hyper. I've got some ideas, but let me know if you would rather have me stick to the plotline in a review! reviews are like brownies and I love brownies so...review? Thanks for reading! :)**


	5. Chapter Five: What Cas and Dean Did

**Wowsies! Four favorites and follows already! Thanks so much, darlings! I love you all, and since you're so great, and since it has been a while, I wrote this for you:**

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Chapter Five: What Cas and Dean Did While They Were High

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Half an hour later, Cas and Dean were standing in the candy shop's kitchen. The effects of the drugs had still not worn off, and the pair was baking a cake. Or, they were trying to.

There were paintings made of icing on the walls, if you could even call them paintings. The ones done by Cas were all in shades if green or black because those colors reminded him of Dean. They were mostly smears or simple geometric shapes, but they were "Beautiful impressions...so simple and green...I love you, Castiel..." according to Dean. Dean's artworks were all different shades of blue, representing Cas. They looked like he had tried to design his own anti-demon symbols, with lots of pentagons and foreign-looking characters. This hadn't worked, and there just seemed to be stars drawn on the walls everywhere. Cas and Dean thought that they looked beautiful. Then again, Cas and Dean weren't exactly seeing things as they really were.

Melted chocolate was on the floor, hardened into little drizzles or blobs. Both men were covered in flour and sugar. The cake that they had prepared didn't have some of the ingredients it needed, and it had a lot that it didn't need. Cas was sitting on the counter, and Dean was standing in the corner with a jar of frosting in his hands, licking the nearly empty container. Cas was singing some old Beatles song that Dean didn't know, but he was enjoying hearing Cas's deep and gravelly voice.

_"Picture yourself in a boat on a river  
With tangerine trees and marmalade skies  
Somebody calls you, you answer quite slowly  
A girl with kaleidoscope eyes."_

Dean let the lyrics wash over him as he licked the frosting off his finger. _'Cas's voice is really beautiful...I'm so glad I kissed him...The Beatles know their shit...this frosting tastes like cherries, or maybe it's...rainbows everywhere...I should listen to the Beatles more often...'_

_"Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds  
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds  
Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds  
Aaaaaah... _I think this cake is baked...dude..." Cas pulled the cake out of the oven, surprised that he didn't burn himself. The pan felt fuzzy...(In reality, Cas pulled the cake out of the freezer. He only thought he put it in the oven. The fuzzy things he felt were ice crystals.) He set the frozen cake mix onto the counter where he was previously standing. He picked up a knife and started to spice it, confused with the pattern of stars he saw on the surface.

"Caaaaasssiiiieee," Dean called from where he was standing in the corner.

"My name is Cassiel...Castiel...castle...let's build a castle, Deeeean!" Cas ran over to Dean and pulled him towards Anna's room.

"Let's build a castle!" Dean agreed, hurrying along with his friend. They ran to Anna's room, forgetting the runny and cold mess of a cake mix that they had left in the kitchen.

Once in Anna's room, they were both immediately dazed by the colors and patterns.

"Woah, Cas...check out the floor!" Dean pointed to the checkerboard under their feet. It was swirling around them, making them dizzy.

"We seem to be in a large game of chess." The two men were confused for a moment, trying to make their way to the sofa-nest and only walking in directions legal in the game of chess. They eventually made it together, collapsing in unison into the nest.

"Let's build a castle, Deeeean!" Cas tugged at Dean's shirt, begging him to play with him.

"Okay Caaas..." They rolled out of the nest and pulled all the blankets and cushions and pillows to one side of the room. Then they constructed them all into a huge pile. The heap stood seven feet tall, made completely of comfortable furniture pieces. They crawled into it together, hands full of stick-on glow stars.

In their heads, they had constructed a palace. It was made of crystals and diamonds. When they crawled inside, they decorated it with precious jewels. Dean had embedded sapphires into the surface; they reminded him of Cas. Cas had nailed little emeralds around the doorposts, symbolizing Dean. In reality, they stuck glow stars everywhere. But to them, it was beautiful.

They were camping under the artificial stars together, just relaxing in each other's company. Dean was lying down with his head was in Cas's lap, and Cas was lightly stroking Dean's hair.

"I love you." Dean looked up at Cas, smiling blissfully. Cas grinned and leaned down, his lips gracefully meeting Dean's.

"I love you, too." Cas's face was hovering over Dean's, daring him to reach up and kiss him. And he did.

* * *

Dean's eyes closed for what felt like a minute, but it was really thirty. When they opened, Cas was still smiling, but not with affection, but mischievously. He was also chuckling evilly, which really worried Dean.

"Cas, what did you do?" Dean looked around the castle, then his eyes fell on them. He glanced at his arm. His fears were confirmed. "Caaaas! You drew all over me!"

His arms were covered in purple and silver sharpie. Lines snaked up and down his arms, with gold stars and jagged black lines all over. No skin was visible through the shapes and colors. "You little son of a bitch...this is gonna take FOREVER to get off!"

Cas was smiling so widely, Dean had to forgive him. "You should have seen your face..." Cas was giggling like a little girl, hiding his ridiculous grin behind his hands.

"You are so gonna pay, Castiel." Dean grabbed some of the sharpies and tackled Cas. Cas was laughing to hard to fight him off. Dean stripped off Cas's shirt and just drew. He drew squiggles and circles and lines and pentagrams and just doodled all over Cas's (gorgeous) torso.

After five minutes of sketching on Cas, Dean said,"There. Now we're even." Cas had lines covering his bare chest, but he was to happy to care.

"Look," Cas said, pointing to a circle and some squiggles. "That one looks like an angel-banishing sigil. And look, a Tibetan spirit sigil."

Dean burst out laughing. "Don't ever change, Cas."

And they fell asleep there, both covered in sharpie and neither caring at all anymore.


	6. Chapter Six: Suddenly Someone

**It's been a while. I haven't told you a story in so long. Also I just now realized that the title "Playthings" is the same title as that episode in season one with the creepy doll house and hotel and the ghost girl. That's just a strange coincidence, think nothing of it. Also, the character developement in this fic is TERRIBLY fast and I know and I'm sorry. Also, this chapter is hella short so I am apologizing in advance. Bye. **

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Chapter Six: Suddenly Someone

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Dean was asleep. His chest rose and fell, breathing steadily. He dreamt of Cas and Sam riding in the Impala down a long road that lead to nowhere. they were eating cherry pie and listening to Dean's music. Sam didn't complain about the music because he was happy that Dean and Cas were there with him. Cas was laughing at Dean's attempt to sing along. Dean never stopped smiling at his brother in the backseat and his boyfriend by his side.

Cas was smiling in his sleep. In his dream, he and Dean were walking along the beach at sunset, just like Dean said he liked. They were kicking water at each other, laughing and shouting. Dean lost his footing and collapsed in the waves. He burst back out, laughing his head off. Sam was in the background, taking pictures with Jessica. Each Winchester pulled his other into a soft, loving kiss. And nobody ever stopped smiling.

It was beautiful. The fort they had built was warm and soft. The stars and streetlights glistened through the windows. The few cars on the streets hummed lightly. The taste of brownies still lingered on their lips. The entire shop smelled of candy. The sweet aroma filled the room with sugar and chocolate. In fact, the room didn't use to smell that strongly of candy. It had just taken on this fragrance when a certain brother strode in.

He walked over to where Dean and Cas sat in their fort, grinning to himself mischievously. He saw Cas's sharpie-covered torso and raised an eyebrow.

"I love you...Cas," Dean whispered in his sleep.

Gabriel chuckled. "Oh Dean," he sighed. "If only there was someone who loved you."

The man snapped his fingers.

And Cas dissapeared.

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**I regret nothing. Well...maybe I will if you...review?**


	7. Chapter Seven: NotDead

**You guys got my Frozen refrence! Yays! Thank you always for reviewing! Gabriel is pretty OOC here because he is a villian in this context. K bye~~**

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Chapter Seven: #NotDead

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Dean woke up in the morning with a feeling of pure bliss all over him. Even though he was awake, he kept his eyes closed, enjoying the happiness dancing through his veins. Maybe it was the aftereffects of the drugs. Maybe it was the fact that Cas was there. Maybe it was the smell of candy or the taste of—wait where was Cas?

Dean sat bolt upright. He looked at his surroundings. He was still in the pillow fort, still tangled in blankets, still covered with sharpie tatoos. But Cas wasn't lying next to him. What he thought was Cas's chest was really a pillow. _'He was just here. We were just here...we were...where is he?' _

Dean climbed out of the fort, dizzy and disoriented. He grabbed the couch-nest for support. His head spun as he scanned the room, but Cas was nowhere to be found.

"Cas?" he called down the hallway. "Where are you?"

"I'm in the kitchen!" Cas's voice sounded a little high, almost giddy. He usually didn't sound this perky, as far as Dean knew. But Dean still sighed with relief.

"Dammit Cas! I thought you left!" He walked down the hall, towards Cas's voice. "Is Anna back yet?"

"No! I don't know where Anna is!" Dean was getting suspicious; there was no way that Cas's voice could get that high. He turned the corner to the kitchen, and what he saw made his heart skip a beat.

Cas was tied to a chair, a piece of silver duct tape covering his mouth. He was still shirtless, and the ropes were making harsh red marks over the sharpie stains on his chest. His eyes were huge and terrified, begging Dean to help him.

"Cas!" Dean ran to him, pulling out a knife to cut the ropes away. But when he got close to them, they glowed red hot and burned both him and Cas.

"Oh, I wouldn't try that again in a hurry."

Then Dean saw him. The Trickster.

"You," Dean growled. "you let him go right now you little son of a bitch!"

"Well since you asked so nicely...no." He smiled wickedly. "I will, however, take that duct tape off of him."

Gabriel flicked his hand in Cas's direction, and the duct tape ripped off of his mouth. Cas let out a loud yelp of pain as the tape tore off some of his skin. His chest heaved in pain, gasping for air.

"You all right, Cassie?" The Trickster smirked evilly.

"Why are you doing this Gabriel?"

"Yeah why are you here Gabriel? Haven't you heard of brotherhood? Sticking to your family?" Dean looked at the Trickster with bitterness in his eyes.

"Family? Who ever said we were family?" Gabriel looked genuinely confused.

"Gabriel, you're my older brother. The one who went missing a year ago and left the candy shop to me and Anna."

The Trickster chuckled to himself.

"Why the hell is that funny?" Dean asked, anger rising in his voice.

"Because," the Trickster giggled, "none of it is real."

"I'm sorry, I thought you said none of it was real but I must-"

"Oh no Dean, you're right. None of this," the Trickster said, gesturing around the room, "is real. All fake. All homemade."

Cas's eyes were huge. "You made up the existence of this candy shop?"

"I had a day off." The Trickster smirked. "My own sets," he tapped on the walls. "My own props," he ran his fingers along Cas's ropes. "And my very own special little actor." He ruffled Cas's hair.

"What are you talking about? I am Castiel James Novack and I'm from Los Angel-"

"Don't you get it, Cassie?" The Trickster stepped closer to Castiel. "You're a fake. everything here, everything you've thought you've ever known. It was all made up by me. Hell, you're not even a real person. You're just my creation."

That shut Cas up. He couldn't think of a single thing to say. Dean, on the other hand, was full of questions.

"Why would you even do that? What got into your sick, twisted mind that made you think that this was okay? Who gave you the right?"

"Nobody gave me the right, Deanio. I took it. Castiel James Novack was a figment of my imagination, so I decided to make him come true. he came with a free backstory, too. But you want to know why I made him? I wanted to mess with you."

Dean was furious. Cas was fake. This whole hunt was a trap to break him. "What did I do to you that made you hate me?"

"I just don't like you. Remember that time I killed you a hundred times? Half of the reason was to watch you die."

Dean was speechless. He may not have remembered the details if those infernal Tuesdays, but he saw what it did to Sammy. And that was not okay.

"Well if your just gonna stand there, I might as well get rid if Cassie here. Say your goodbyes and all that boring human stuff." The Trickster loped away, whistling to himself.

"Dean," Cas looked at him with those big, blue eyes. "I'm sorry. I didn't know any of this. I really love you, Dean."

Dean looked back at him, tears threatining to sting his eyes. _'Everything I touch gets broken.' _"I love you, too, Cas."

"Okay enough of that." The Trickster spun around. "Goodbye, Castiel." He smiled wickedly. He snapped.

And nothing happened.

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**Hooray for cliffhangers! New chapter coming as soon as I can write it. Tell me what you think in a review!**


	8. Chapter Eight: The Final Chapter

**welll it's been a while. I just got this idea for an other destiel fic, ****_Twister, _****but now that's done and over with and I can keep up with this one!********Don't be mad at me please! K bye~~**

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Chapter Eight: The Final Chapter

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Gabriel snapped. Nothing happened.

"Hello? Casssie? Time for you to die now." The Trickster looked really confused at what was happening, or rather, what wasn't happening.

"No, Gabriel. I won't listen to you." Castiel spoke with an odd confidence that Dean had never heard before.

"Cassie? I created you. How come I can't kill you? What are you doing?"

"I'm not doing anything. If I were you, I'd be more worried about what's behind you."

"Why?" Gabriel asked. "What's behind me?" He spun around to see Dean holding a wooden stake.

"Surprise, bitch." Dean stabbed the Trickster in the heart. He fell to the ground, gasping for air as blood spurted from his mouth. Then he became still.

"And stay dead this time!" Dean shouted as he flickered out of existence. "Cas," he sighed as he turned to the other man. "How the hell did you get out of that?"

"I don't know," Cas said. "But I don't feel the same as I did a few days ago. i feel more...whole."

Dean began to cut the ropes that bound Cas to the chair. "That's wierd."

"Do you think it has something to do with me getting away from Gabriel?"

"Nah. Maybe it's because I'm here." Dean smiled and winked, cutting off the last of Cas's ropes. Cas kissed him when he was free. "Come on," Dean said when they pulled apart. "Let's get outta here."

"Wait," Cas said. "You should probably wash all that sharpie off of your arms."

"True." Dean looked around, locating the sink. "You should go find your shirt. Ya know...if you have to."

Cas rolled his eyes and went to find his shirt. Dean started to wash all the sharpie off of his arms. He tried to remember everything he could of the previous night.

_'We were so high,' _he thought. _'Anna made us those brownies. No, it must have been Gabriel...Anna doesn't exist. And we built a castle, but I geuss it was really just a pillow fort. Then I fell asleep and Cas drew on my arms. Then I drew on him...that was fun.' _

He replayed the conversation in his mind. _"You are so gonna pay, Castiel. There. Now we're even." "Look, that one looks like an angel-banishing sigil. And look, a Tibetan spirit sigil." "Don't ever change, Cas."_

_'How did he even know those symbols? Did Gabriel imagine him as a hunter? In his backstory he never said he was. Maybe he knew the angel-banishing sigil since his whole family is named after angels. And the Tibetan spirit symbol...was it a Tibetan Tulpa? That makes things that are fake become real, right? Where did-'_

Dean stopped. He remembered his dad's journal. _"Tulpa thus created, no matter the creator's intent, will gradually turn on the creator...It's about the willpower."_

_'That's what made Cas turn against the Trickster. That's what made him feel complete. A drugged-up symbol on the guy's chest and a person believing he was real.' _

"Nothing in the past few days has made any sense anyway," Dean sighed, shaking his head.

"You talking to me?" Cas asked, walking back into the room. He was wearing the same thing that he wore the first time Dean saw him.

"Naw, it's nothing," Dean said. "Let's go."

They walked out the door to the Impala, Dean explaining Cas's life to him. It didn't make much sense to Cas, but he accepted it and moved on.

"So now what?" Cas asked when they were both driving back to the motel.

"Whaddaya mean?"

"Well, I don't actually have anything save for my screwed-up life story. I don't have any money, clothes, a place to live, not even a cell phone."

Dean sighed. "Well, you've got two choices. I can pull over, you can jump out and forget this ever happened. Go with your backstory and meet someone nice and settle down. Have that apple-pie life that I can't have.

"Or, you can stay with me and Sammy and become a hunter. But I'm warning you know: being a hunter, it ain't easy. You question your judgement, you get hurt all the time and can't complain, and killing becomes a second nature. You lose the people you love all the time. Sure, you save some here and there, and that's always great. But it can be a living hell. And once you're in, you can never get out.

"So what'll it be, Cas? Forget me and stay here, or forget here and stay with me?" Dean looked over at the man in the passenger seat.

Cas didn't need to consider the decision for more than a second. He leaned ober and kissed Dean. "I chooose you, Dean. Despite your imperfections and sucky lifestyle, I'll always choose you."

Dean didn't need to be told twice. They got out of the Impala to tell Sammy. He probably wouldn't be _that _surprised. They knew he would welcome Castiel with open arms, if he didn't welcome them with a new case.

But he did both. He greeted Cas with a hug and a suspected homicide.

If there was one thing to be said about Dean, Sam, and Castiel, it was that they had work to do.

-*-.-*-.-*-.-*-THE END-*.-*-.-*-.-*-

**well that was one cheesy ending. did ya like it? if you guys tell me you like it enough, i ****_might _****add a crack-ish chapter at the end, just cuz I love ya (hint*review*hint) K bye~~**


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